Revenge of the File Infectors

BitDefender's top malware chart for May 2007 lists a P2P-based worm as the No. 1 file infector, while mass-mailers have all but disappeared.

BitDefender's top malware chart for May 2007 contains some interesting nuggets of info. Mass-mailers, once the terror of the industry, have all but disappeared from the scene, while first place, with 10.31 percent of all reports, is win32.worm.p2p.puce.g, a file infector that attacks through peer-to-peer networks.

The top 10 list accounts for 48.18 percent of all malware.

1.

win32.worm.p2p.puce.g

10.31%

2.

win32.worm.rjump.b

7.80%

3.

win32.worm.agent.ai

5.76%

4.

win32.worm.vb.ymeak.a

4.10%

5.

win32.jeefo.a

4.04%

6.

win32.fidcop.gen

3.85%

7.

win32.netsky.p@mm

3.82%

8.

worm.vbs.solow.a

3.45%

9.

win32.wukill.e@mm

2.91%

10.

win32.worm.vb.dw

2.14%

Jeefo.a at No. 5 is also a file infector and utilizes encryption to attempt to hide itself, but the encryption algorithm is a trivial one.

Netsky.p is the sole remaining mass-mailer. This longstanding presence on the charts will probably decline over time as old, infected systems are replaced.